The Third Hokage's gaze swept across the team with quiet authority.
"If there are no further questions, then the mission begins." His voice carried the finality of command.
At once, Uchiha Shigure, Namikaze Minato, and young Hatake Kakashi set out from Konoha, their journey stretching across thousands of miles toward the unforgiving Land of Wind.
Into the Desert
The Land of Wind sprawled vast and desolate before them. Though the largest of the Five Great Nations in sheer territory, its barren earth and endless deserts left its people in constant struggle. Famine and harsh lives had sculpted them into a resilient people, yet still, countless had starved when resources failed. After the calamities of the Second Ninja World War, the Third Kazekage had labored to stabilize the nation, little by little pulling it back from the brink.
Days passed in relentless travel as the trio crossed unforgiving landscapes, the red-orange glow of the desert skies ever looming. By the time they reached the outer sands of the Wind Country, their bodies ached with fatigue, though their spirits remained sharp.
"Our target is Loulan," Minato reminded them, his blond hair catching what little moonlight pierced the shifting sands. His tone was serious. "It's an ancient, independent country. Rarely visited, largely mysterious. Teacher Shigure, what do you think our next step should be?"
Shigure lifted his gaze from the sand as he considered. His crimson eyes did not take on the Sharingan's gleam; still, his expression grew thoughtful. "Loulan won't welcome strangers openly. We'll need to slip in undetected first. Investigate from the shadows. Only once I've seen its state with my own eyes can I judge the next move. The stories I've heard… are only sketches. Reality is always more complicated."
Minato nodded readily. They had strategized before setting out, and he added firmly, "In that case, Kakashi will hold back to support. I'll move in with you. Together, the two of us can scout while keeping a fallback point."
The young Kakashi only gave a crisp nod. His steel-grey gaze betrayed little emotion. For him, duty came first and always.
Through the desert day and into the cooling night, they pressed on. Fortune favored them, sparing them ambush or sandstorms. Finally, as stars began to scatter across the sky, the three set up camp amid the dunes. They would rest, gather strength, and continue on at dawn.
The Voice Returns
As the desert night fell silent, Shigure lay beneath the vast expanse of stars. It was then—just as dreams threatened to take him—that the long-absent voice returned.
"Host… I've returned! You've absorbed so much blood power since we last spoke!"
Shigure jolted, eyes widening. His hand clenched in the sand. "…System? Is that you?"
The voice chuckled with something like pride. "Yes. The last time we spoke, I fused you with the bloodline of the Kaguya clan—the Ōtsutsuki branch. That gift gave you mastery over the Corpse Bone Vein, a formidable power. I promised you another enhancement back then, but I never expected this. Now—you've absorbed the Uzumaki clan's bloodline. And not just fragments. It's extremely pure."
Shigure's breath hitched. His mind spun. "The Uzumaki… fused into me?"
"Not fused yet," the system corrected, amused. "But the power is there, dormant. What's more—woven into the Uzumaki blood is the essence of Asura himself. That is no trivial power… So tell me, Shigure. Will you strengthen a previous bloodline, or shall we fuse this Uzumaki one with your own?"
The choice set adrenaline coursing through his veins. He forced himself to speak calmly, though his heart thundered. "…If I attempt the fusion, how long will I be unconscious this time?"
"A few hours, at most," the system replied smoothly. "But strengthening the bloodline? That would leave you dormant for at least a full day. In your current state, fusion is safer. And wiser."
"Then there's no question. I'll merge with it."
"Wait…" the system suddenly interrupted, its tone shifting. "Host… Tell me. Have you absorbed the blood power of a tailed beast?"
Shigure blinked. "…I may have touched upon it. Why? Is that dangerous?"
"Dangerous? No. Fortuitous." The system's voice quivered with astonishment. "You don't understand how rare your path has become. Even the purest Ōtsutsuki bloodline requires the Chakra Fruit to access true godlike power. To surpass them, one must wield the Ten-Tails' essence itself. Only by merging with those chakra seeds can you eclipse the clan that spawned it all. Do you see? You've already absorbed the Nine-Tails' essence. That seed has taken root within you."
Shigure's mind raced at the system's revelation. The implication was staggering:
So long as he touched the vessels of each tailed beast, their chakra blood would yield to him—not by ripping them apart like Akatsuki's cruel methods, but through contact alone. Then, when he had gathered all nine, he need only touch the body of the Ten-Tails.
That would make him… the new Ten-Tails Jinchūriki. But unlike anything in the original story. His version of the Ten-Tails would be his alone.
"What happens if I siphon bloodline power from others?" Shigure asked hesitantly, the human cost pressing on his conscience.
"Nothing negative," the system assured. "It works both ways. You give them chakra, vitality—a flicker of lifeforce—while they lend you a droplet of bloodline potential. A true exchange. No harm, only gain for both sides."
Shigure exhaled slowly. "I see. So, the dead or the living, I can tap their lineage. Gather their strengths… allow each to reinforce the others." His course had crystallized.
"Very well. Begin the fusion."
The Transformation
"Understood." The system's tone softened. "Afterwards, I will sleep again. But remember, Shigure—become strong enough to awaken me once more. Only with vast blood power can you achieve what lies ahead."
With that, Shigure felt his very cells ignite. Kushina's fiery essence, Mito's ancient reservoir—foreign blood that lingered within him—melded into his own at last.
What once might have shredded his body instead fed it. His cells now devoured foreign strands hungrily. Strength, endless and deep, pulsed into him. He drifted into unconsciousness not with pain, but with an intoxicating serenity.
Hours or perhaps an eternity later, his eyes fluttered open. Morning light spilled across the dunes.
Minato's relieved grin hovered above. "Finally awake, Shigure-sensei… If you hadn't stirred soon, Kakashi and I might've panicked."
Shigure sat up, rubbing his temple sheepishly. "Sorry. I was… improving myself."
His embarrassed chuckle earned only a shake of the head from Minato. "You could at least warn us when you take a nap like that. Come—we still have ground to cover."
But even as Shigure rose, he froze mid-step.
"What… is this?" His voice dropped in awe. He hadn't activated his Sharingan, yet the world exploded into clarity. He could feel the sweep of chakra currents around him—the prickle of sand, the heartbeat of his companions.
"Kakashi…" His head whipped toward a dune. "Kakashi's caught—! He's sinking in quicksand!"
Minato's eyes widened. Without hesitation, the Yellow Flash vanished in a golden streak, reappearing moments later with Kakashi cradled safely in his arms.
"That was close… good thing you kept the kunai tied to you," Minato muttered.
Kakashi, coughing sand, frowned. "Teacher… how did you know?"
"I didn't." Minato's gaze slid back to Shigure. "It was him."
Awareness dawned on them both. Shigure only smiled faintly, scratching his neck. "Didn't I mention? I picked up a new ability while I was out."
"A sensor," Minato mused aloud, half in admiration. "So you've shifted types entirely."
Shigure didn't explain further, and his comrades didn't press. In this world, every shinobi harbored secrets.
Loulan Approaches
As the trio resumed their march across the desert, the sun beat down mercilessly, but Shigure's pulse was steady, his spirit alight with surging strength.
"How long will it take to reach Loulan?" Kakashi groused, scanning the endless dunes.
"Is there really a city hidden out here?" Minato murmured, half in wonder.
Then Shigure stopped in his tracks, his eyes narrowing as his senses rippled outward. A strange pulse echoed in the distance—ancient chakra buried beneath shifting sands.
"We don't have to ask anymore," Shigure said with a grave smile, lifting his hand toward the horizon. "Because we're already here."
Far ahead, something shimmered under the sun—a mirage. Or perhaps the gates of legend.
--
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